Local category, Page 2637
5th person accuses Allegheny Township man of sex assault
An Allegheny Township man previously accused of sexually assaulting four people now faces rape charges in connection with an alleged 2018 incident. Township police on Thursday charged Eric Alan Wright, 48, with rape, sexual assault, burglary, indecent exposure and two counts of indecent assault. Police Sgt. Dan Uncapher said the...
Arnold girl, 6, aims to sell 4K boxes of Girl Scout CookiesVideo
Stella VanWhy is one determined Daisy. The 6-year-old Arnold girl told her troop co-leader she was going to sell 2,020 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies so she could pay for Girl Scout camp this summer, said Alicia Phillips, Stella’s mom. “That’s what I want to do most, because I love...
Free and low-cost cat spay, neuter clinics scheduled in Tarentum
A dozen free and low-cost spay and neuter clinics will be held for feral and pet cats in Tarentum from now through June. The Homeless Cat Management Team holds the clinics at 207 Allegheny St. Pre-registration is required and walk-ins are not permitted. Free clinics for feral cats only are...
Pittsburgh police union disputes city’s early contract offer
The Pittsburgh police union turned down a contract offer from the city that would have provided officers higher raises than what they received through an arbitration panel’s award released last week, according to a letter obtained Thursday by the Tribune-Review. Robert Swartzwelder, president of Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt...
Vandergrift man challenges manslaughter charge related to his weeks-old son’s death
A Vandergrift man awaiting trial on charges that he killed his 5-week-old baby last year claims he broke no laws and that his case should be dismissed. Owen LaBrenn Copney, 27, was charged last March with felony counts of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment in connection with the death of...
St. Andrew’s Church in New Kensington holds final service for its faithfulVideo
St. Andrew’s Church in New Kensington has sat empty for seven years. On Thursday, roughly 30 parishioners filled the pews one last time. Together they prayed, received Communion, and listened as Episcopal Bishop Dorsey W.M. McConnell deconsecrated the 71-year-old building, which is in the process of being sold. “This is...
Allegheny Health Network cancels surgeries after gown recall
Several elective, non-emergency procedures were rescheduled at surgery centers throughout Allegheny Health Network on Thursday after the medical device manufacturer Cardinal Health recalled surgical gowns, a spokesman said. The gowns, which are part of kits containing other surgical supplies, were immediately pulled from the shelves after a nationwide “voluntary recall”...
Former cop Michael Rosfeld sues University of Pittsburgh over 2018 firing
The former police officer acquitted last year in connection with the June 2018 shooting death of Antwon Rose is suing the University of Pittsburgh, its police department and a vice chancellor for his firing from the university’s police department. The lawsuit filed Thursday afternoon in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court...
Judge won’t dismiss charges against ex-Derry mayor accused in gun incident
A judge on Thursday rejected a request from Derry Borough’s former mayor to dismiss assault charges related to accusations he threatened children with a loaded gun. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani ruled testimony presented during a preliminary hearing last year established enough evidence that Kevin Gross’ actions...
Grandmother of man accused in fatal Jeannette shooting offers alibi
A grandmother took the witness stand Thursday and said her grandson — a man on trial for a brazen daylight murder in downtown Jeannette — was in Florida at the time of the fatal shooting. Shirley Muhammad testified her paternal grandson, Darrelle Tolbert-McGhee, 30, of Penn Hills, was in Orlando...
Tenaska offering scholarships to students from Belle Vernon, Yough
Tenaska Pennsylvania Partners LLC, owner of the Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station near Smithton, is offering $6,000 in scholarships for college-bound students in Westmoreland County this year. Tenaska manages scholarship programs in communities where its power plants are located and has given out approximately $760,000 in scholarships to date. This is...
Southwest Greensburg searches for new manager
Southwest Greensburg is looking for a new manager. “My wife and friends were all retired, and it’s time for me to join the fun,” said Corry Sheffler, 64, who has been the borough manager since 2011. He’ll be stepping down at the end of February. Sheffler wears a lot of...
Man killed in New Kensington shooting attacked in December, police say
The man identified as the victim in Wednesday’s deadly shooting in New Kensington was pistol-whipped in an Arnold home invasion last month, according to police. Anthone Williams, 31, of Arnold’s Kenneth Avenue was shot multiple times as he sat in his vehicle in a closed section of New Kensington’s East...
Chicago-area man falls ill on plane, dies after emergency landing at Pittsburgh International
A 48-year-old man from suburban Chicago became unresponsive Wednesday afternoon while on a Southwest Airlines flight from New York to Chicago. The plane made an emergency landing at Pittsburgh International Airport shortly before 1 p.m. and the man was transported to a hospital, according to Allegheny County Airport Authority spokesman...
Murrysville to look more closely at LED signage
Murrysville council will ask its planning commission to revisit its signage ordinance to potentially address newer signs using LED lighting. “There are a lot of LED signs popping up and I don’t know if we really address those,” council President Dayne Dice said. Murrysville’s existing ordinance lays out a host...
Developers move forward with Monroeville apartments
Monroeville council approved the site plan for two apartment buildings that a developer plans to construct along Fox Plan Road. A.R. Building expects the structures to be four stories with a total of 112 units. There will be studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. Monthly rents will run approximately $1,100 and...
Highmark opens school grant program
Schools looking to support wellness programs, encourage professional development among school nurses or support the basic health needs of low-income students can apply for grants for the 2020-21 school year from the Highmark Foundation. Applications for the program, now in its eighth year, will be accepted from public, parochial and...
Baldwin council under fire for solicitor switch process
A majority of Baldwin council members decided through a straw poll — conducted by phone before the borough’s Jan. 6 reorganization meeting — that they planned to switch solicitors that night, according to the current council president. Dating back to December, some council members had individually discussed the idea and...
On Day 9, jury filled out in Wilkinsburg mass shooting case; 3 alternates needed
A jury has been selected to hear the capital case against two men accused in the 2016 mass shooting at a Wilkinsburg cookout. Attorneys agreed upon a 12th juror about noon Thursday, the ninth day of jury selection in the case. The primary jurors are six men and six women....
Ride-hailing service RubyRide adding Sto-Rox pilot to South Hills testing
A new ride-hailing service already operating in the South Hills is eyeing a second test area in Pittsburgh’s suburbs. RubyRide has a pilot program that launched in the Clairton area in late October and will be starting a second pilot Feb. 1 in areas that make up the Sto-Rox School...
Police: Hempfield man was drunk in head-on crash that seriously injured driver
A Hempfield man was drunk when he crossed into oncoming traffic, slamming head-on into another vehicle and seriously injuring its driver, according to state police. Troopers said 65-year-old Joseph J. Forbes had a blood-alcohol content of 0.216%. The legal limit to drive in Pennsylvania is 0.08%. He is charged with...
Firefighters called to blaze in Rostraver
Firefighters were called to a reported house fire in Rostraver on Thursday, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatch supervisor. The fire was reported at 10:45 a.m. on Rostraver Road near the Route 51 overpass. Traffic on Rostraver Road and Route 51 was affected. No injuries were reported....
Author of ‘Indianapolis’ to speak on World War II sinking, aftermath
Most people know the story of the USS Indianapolis from the movie “Jaws.” To them, it’s a story about sharks. But to best-selling author Lynn Vincent, the sinking of the USS Indianapolis is more a story of faith and leadership. On March 10, she will tell that story in Pittsburgh...
Pennsylvania PUC approves sale of Peoples Gas to Aqua America Inc. in $4.3 billion deal
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Thursday approved a settlement that would lead to the $4.3 billion acquisition of Pittsburgh-based Peoples Gas by a Philadelphia-area water and sewer company. Aqua Chairman and CEO Christopher Franklin said the PUC’s action is the last regulatory approval necessary to close on a sale....
Plans for South Fayette pickleball facility stall
Plans to turn South Fayette Township into a regional mecca for pickleball have stalled. Township commissioners unanimously voted to deny a zoning change for approximately eight vacant acres off Mayview Road, just north of Boyce Road that was requested to accommodate a pickleball facility. Commissioners denied the request to change...
